


The Distance Between Us

by darkforest



Category: Doctor-X (TV)
Genre: F/F, Hiromichiko - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:13:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28418175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkforest/pseuds/darkforest
Summary: When Hiromi gets married to another doctor, Michiko decides to leave Japan for a permanent job in London. Two years later, Hiromi finally finds out the real reason why Michiko left Japan so suddenly.
Relationships: Daimon Michiko & Jonouchi Hiromi, Daimon Michiko/Jonouchi Hiromi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

I had always wondered why. Why she left so abruptly. Why she had to move 6000 miles away all of a sudden. I had considered her my best friend. Maybe she didn’t know that? Or maybe she didn’t think much of our friendship?

Nearly two years later, my marriage is in trouble and I don’t even have my best friend to talk to and comfort me. My husband, Shinji, a fellow doctor specializing in endocrinology seems to have a wandering eye. He didn’t have it before we got married. By all accounts, he was the ideal man. At least, until recently.

Shinji came to the hospital from America. He was a top endocrinologist at a research hospital near Seattle. His parents are Japanese, in fact, quite famous and well connected. His mother is a famous novelist, having written numerous novels and volumes of poetry. His father is a recently retired politician with a storied career. Their family came from wealth and generations of politicians, artists and even samurai. A dream family to marry into.

When I met Shinji, I thought he was incredibly handsome. Even though he was almost 10 years older than me, he looked 10 years younger than he was. He had a great reputation as a doctor in America and became well respected in Japan in a short period of time for his groundbreaking research and experimental treatments for diabetes. He really seemed like the perfect man. He had money, success, good looks and a charming, funny and kind personality. He also seemed genuinely interested in and taken with me. He practically swept me off my feet and I was head over heels in love with him. When he asked me to marry him just a few months into dating, I was taken by surprise and had reservations, but said yes immediately. Deep down, maybe I thought this was my last chance at love and marriage, so I had blinders on when it came to him.

Now that I think about it, my friendship with Daimon-san started to deteriorate right when I started dating Shinji. There was no more onsen, no more eating out with her, no more ping pong, no more shopping or walking home together. She became terse with me in the operating room and often wouldn’t even look at me. All of my time was taken by Shinji. I didn’t even notice that Daimon-san was becoming distant from me, that I was slowly losing my best friend.

Right before my wedding ceremony, Daimon-san announced out of nowhere that she got a contract at a hospital in London. By the time I got back from our honeymoon in Hawaii, she was gone, she didn’t even say goodbye.

Fast forward nearly two years into our marriage. I’ve been told by several other doctors and staff that Shinji has been spending a lot of time with the assistant director’s receptionist in one of the storage rooms. There’s no need to speculate what’s going on. I know. That particular storage room, with its out of the way location and quasi romantic lighting, is always used for rendezvous between staff members.

Now, I’m faced with trying to make it work with a cheating Shinji or becoming a twice divorced woman with a teenage daughter, which would probably doom my prospects for ever getting married again. I know if Daimon-san were here, she would have warned me about him or she would have tried to keep him in line. In truth, I don’t know what she would have done or could have done to prevent my current predicament, but somehow, I know things wouldn’t be this bad if she was still around. At the very least, I could have the comfort of eating good food, onsen and playing ping pong with my good friend. But she’s not here, and I haven’t seen her since she left. I haven’t even heard from her in many months. Not so much as a text. Maybe it’s time to face the truth… we are not friends anymore.

I guess I need to move on with my life… but something about the way she left just doesn’t sit right with me, it never has. Even though we never had a fight, it felt like she was mad at me about something. I have to find out if there was something else going on.

There’s only one way to do that… I have to go see Akira-san. When it comes to Daimon-san, he is incredibly protective, so getting information out of him will be difficult, but I need to try. At the very least, I want to know if she’s ok. If she’s doing well at her new hospital. He can at least tell me that.

After work, I make my way down to the Kanbara Agency. I hadn’t been there in months, thanks to Akira-san now using direct deposit for my payments. I slide open the door, and see Akira-san behind the kitchen counter making some ramen. He looked a bit frailer than since I last saw him and seemed quite surprised to see me.

“Akira-san!” I smiled.

“Hiromi!” Akira-san exclaimed. “It’s been a while since you came down to the agency. Come in, come in out of the cold, sit down and have ramen with me and Ben Casey tonight. You’re just in time.”

I took my usual seat at the mahjong table… “How have you been? I wanted to stop by and see how you were. I’ve been thinking about you and Daimon-san a lot lately.”

“Oh really, is there something wrong Hiromi?” Akira-san says as he serves my ramen and sits down to have some himself. “How are things with Shinji?”

Oh no, I really didn’t want to go into that with him. I came here to get information out of him, not the other way around. I suppose he should know, in fact, he probably already has an idea that Shinji is cheating on me. He’s always up on the hospital gossip, and it seems plenty of people already know.

“Well, I’m sure you already have an idea, right? Shinji is cheating on me.”

Akira-san leans back in his chair and puts his chopsticks down. “I had an idea, and was afraid to tell you. I’m sorry. I heard about it a few months ago. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. Maybe I should have... what will you do?”

“I have no idea at this point. Shinji doesn’t really talk to me anymore; it’s been like we aren’t even married these last few months. I don’t want to get divorced, but I might be left with no other choice.”

Akira-san picks up his chopsticks and starts eating again… “Maybe I should have warned you. I had heard he had a bad reputation with women at his old hospital. There were rumors he has children in America with multiple women, but I didn’t believe it. I thought it seemed like an outlandish rumor. I guess it must be true.”

“What?!?! Akira-san!!! Why didn’t you tell me!”

“Hiromi, I’m so sorry. You seemed so happy; I didn’t want to ruin that over what I thought was just rumors. You have to understand, sometimes these rumors are made up by people who have an ax to grind. This happens a lot with very successful doctors who are making a name for themselves, you know that. Anyway, I did have a talk with Shinji when I saw him at the hospital one day before you got married. I confronted him about the rumors from America, and he strongly denied it and seemed genuinely shocked that I brought it up. So, I let it go. I really thought he would be good for you and Mai.”

I can’t help but shed a tear at this news. “I can’t imagine staying with Shinji now. There’s nothing he could say to me that would fix this. I’ve been such a fool.”

“Now, now, Hiromi… you couldn’t have known it would turn out this way. He did seem like a catch.” Like a good father figure, Akira-san hands me some tissues to wipe my tears.

“He was too good to be true, and I knew that deep down.” Wiping tears from my eyes, I try desperately to stop my emotional breakdown in front of Akira-san. This is the last thing I wanted to do, cry to Akira-san about my problems, but it feels good to cry about this finally.

I tried to finish my ramen, but had lost my appetite and decided to get a beer instead. After a couple beers, I decide it’s time to turn to the reason I came here.

“Hey Akira-san… how is Daimon-san? How is she doing in London?”

“She only contacts me once every couple months or so these days… but she seems to be doing ok. I don’t know anyone at that hospital, so I can’t be sure exactly what’s going on with her. She negotiated her contract herself; I didn’t have anything to do with it.”

“Really? So, you didn’t arrange her working in London?”

“No, she said someone she used to work with in New York became the chief executive of a hospital in London and offered her a job, a permanent job, not a temporary position. That’s all she told me.”

“So, are all her debts paid off? Is that why you let her go?”

“Oh, Hiromi, her debts were paid off long ago, I just kept saving money for her. Then she would blow it all on something stupid and start all over again. But as of now, her debts are paid off and her money is her own now. I wonder how it’s going. If she’s saving it or blowing it all on shopping and food and gambling. I do worry about her. She’s a masterful surgeon, but so naive about everything else in life.”

“I’ve been thinking a lot about her lately. That’s why I came here. I miss my friend.” I pick up my beer and roll it against my head, trying to stop the beginnings of a headache I can feel coming on.

“Of course you would Hiromi, especially now, it’s understandable.”

“I realize now that Shinji came between us and our friendship. I regret that so much.”

Akira-san gives me an odd look that I’ve never seen before.

“Hiromi, it wasn’t just that.”

“Hmmm? Akira-san, what do you mean?”

“I can’t believe you never noticed.”

“Noticed what?”

Akira-san sat back, petting Ben Casey in his arms… clearly carefully contemplating what to say next.

“Noticed what, Akira-san?!?! Tell me.” What did I not notice? What is he going to say?

Akira-san took a huge drink of his beer. “I guess it doesn’t matter now. I talked to her last month and she said she renewed her contract recently for a long term, she’s not coming back, maybe ever.”

“What doesn’t matter now Akira-san, what are you talking about?!”

Akira-san looks straight at me and says… “I’m talking about her feelings for you.”

Huh?

“What are you saying?”

“Hiromi, think about it. You know exactly what I’m saying.”

My mind is racing now. This is certainly NOT what I was expecting to hear.

I point at myself… “She has feelings for… me? Wait… you mean more than friendship? Is that what you’re saying?!” I try to tamp down my shock at what he is implying. This is coming out of nowhere.

Akira-san nodded his head. “That’s a big part of why she left. Actually, I had thought maybe she confessed to you and you turned her down, but I guess that didn’t happen.”

“No, never. She never mentioned a thing and I never noticed. Never… Why didn’t she ever… say anything to me?”

“I think she was afraid she would lose you as a friend. You know how Japan is when it comes to homosexuality and same sex relationships, it’s still the dark ages here. She thought you might not want to be her friend anymore; she would never risk that. I remember she told me she was happy just to have you as a friend and colleague, that was enough, that would be enough for her.”

“Akira-san, are you sure? She never showed _any_ romantic interest in _anyone_ , man or woman, as long as I’ve known her. This is hard for me to believe. She always said surgery was her mate!”

“Did you seriously not notice how jealous she got when you dated anyone?”

“What? No. She always seemed annoyed by the men I dated, but she didn’t seem jealous. So, you’re saying she was jealous of the men I dated? Jealous of Shinji?”

“Yes, I noticed it years ago whenever you went out with anyone. That’s when I knew. I thought it was a good thing for her to have such a close friend and that maybe one day there would be a chance for you two.”

“What are you talking about, Akira-san? I like men, you know that!” I’m incredulous now.

“Hiromi, remember a couple years ago at the onsen around Christmas time, you said you didn’t need a man. That’s when I thought there might be a chance. You DID say that, remember?”

“That time in the onsen? Hmmm… I did say that, didn’t I?”

“It was after that when Michiko thought there might actually be a chance with you, she wanted to tell you, but then you started dating Shinji, so I guess she dropped it. Didn’t you notice that she became moodier after that? I actually thought she was becoming depressed and I was getting quite worried about her. It wasn’t long after that she got that offer from London. I was sad to see her go, but I knew it would be best for her. She didn’t want to see you get married, I think it hurt her too much.”

Walking home from Akira-san’s that night, it started to snow. As I walked, I couldn’t stop thinking about what I just learned, I couldn’t stop thinking about Daimon-san. The walk home was a blur. I almost got run over by a taxi, as I wasn’t paying attention to where I was in the street.

Daimon-san… was in love with me? I had absolutely no clue. She hid it so well.

As I get over the shock, I can’t help but feel a bit more positive. There’s someone out there in this world who actually does love me, even if she’s 6000 miles away. As I thought about it, it made me feel… happy. Even though it’s bone-chillingly freezing on my walk home, I felt a warmth inside that I hadn’t felt in a long time.

Shinji was out of town, in Canada at a conference, so I slept well that night. I was determined not to think about our relationship anymore until he gets back. I’ll probably visit a divorce lawyer in a few days to start the process. It has to be done; I have to admit now that this marriage was a mistake. I haven’t been happy with him since the start of our marriage. We rarely have sex, and when we do, it’s unsatisfying to say the least. It’s clear now he just wanted someone to marry to make his parents happy that he finally settled down. Having a single son in his 50’s was embarrassing for his mother.

When I woke up the next morning, Daimon-san was on my mind again. I keep going over all the years we’d been friends and worked together and looking for signs that I missed. No matter how much I think about it, I can’t think of a single sign that led me to believe there was more than friendship there. In fact, it took a long time to get to the friendship level with her. To imagine going beyond that, well that seemed out of the realm of possibility for sure. It certainly never crossed my mind.

It was the next night when my world turned upside down.

I had a dream.

About Daimon-san.


	2. Chapter 2

When I woke up from my dream, I was sweating and my heart was pounding. I don’t think a dream has ever affected me like this before. I’m not one to dream a lot or if I do dream, it’s about mundane things. But this was different. This was… a wet dream… with Daimon-san as the star.

I found myself with her again, we were walking down a street in some foreign city, London I guess, and holding hands. We walked into a park and sat on a bench overlooking a lake. There was no one else around, so we started making out!

Then I woke up.

What the hell? What on earth is going on with me? I have never thought about her this way before, or any woman ever. I tried to go back to sleep but it was useless. I couldn’t stop thinking about my dream. A little while later, I got up and took a shower. Daimon-san was intruding into my thoughts there as well. Seems appropriate she would intrude into my mind, even if she’s 6000 miles away.

I start to wonder what she’s doing now. Right now. What time is it in London? This is something I would start to think about constantly. I was in the middle of a long surgery and I found myself thinking about what she’s doing at that very moment. I was having lunch with a colleague in the cafeteria and thought about whether she’s eating well, how she likes English food. While changing out of my scrubs, I thought of her and what kind of scrubs they must use in London. I added London time to my world clock on my phone so I could always see what time it is there. Have I become obsessed? What does this all mean?

It wasn’t just one dream I had, I started having them night after night. I convinced myself that these dreams are harmless, just my mind working overtime since I’ve been so lonely lately. No big deal, and they certainly have no deeper meaning, right? Right.

Shinji finally came back from his conference in Toronto. When he came in that night, he saw the look on my face and heard the dreaded words, “we need to talk.” It seemed like he already knew what I was going to say. He took it surprisingly well and told me how sorry he was, and that he shouldn’t have tried to make his parents happy by marrying me. Apparently, his mother has a condition and she won’t live much longer, so he wanted to get married as soon as possible when he came back to Japan. He also said he would make sure that the divorce is quick and fair. I was surprised at how easy the conversation went; he was so apologetic. He even let me keep the apartment. I’m guessing living a lie was starting to get to him. Or maybe he just really wants to be with his receptionist friend without me being in the way. Regardless, it took quite a load off my mind.

But now my mind was free to be completely pre-occupied with Daimon-san. What am I going to do about this? Surely, these constant thoughts and dreams are not normal. After all, I’m not even gay. What does it all mean? I decide I need to talk to someone. I’ve had lunch with the hospital’s chief counselor before, she’s a very nice person and we get along well. Though we aren’t close friends, I know her well enough that I know she won’t betray my trust if I tell her something. If anyone can figure out what my preoccupation with Daimon-san means, it’s her. Though, I’m not going to tell her it’s Daimon-san I keep thinking about. No way.

One day I ask her to lunch. We sit down and start on our food, but I make sure to ask her if she wouldn’t mind if I got her advice on a problem I’m having. She was genuinely interested. Of course, she thought the issue was with Shinji, as she’d heard the rumors going around the hospital as well. I tell her that Shinji and I are getting a divorce, that my problem lies with someone else. I tell her that I’ve been having dreams and thoughts about a friend that I used to work with, that left years ago. Since she never met Daimon-san and didn’t work here at the same time as her, there’s no way she could figure out who I’m actually talking about. I go into detail about my dreams and how pre-occupied I’ve become with this person.

Her advice to me about the dreams? That classic line about how dreams are either “what you fear, what you want or what you fear you want.”

Not what I wanted to hear.

As for my thoughts being pre-occupied with this person, she said it sounds like I might be in love.

Also, not what I wanted to hear.

This was a dumb idea and I realize that she’s not a very good counselor. I regret talking to her about this. I thank her for listening and drop the subject quickly.

I become determined to remove all thoughts of Daimon-san from my head.

What’s the best way to do that? Pre-occupy myself with work, lots of work. I ask Akira-san to book me some extra work whenever possible. When I’m not at work, I need to keep my mind off of Daimon-san. I head to a book store and buy some of the latest popular novels including crime, murder mysteries and some science fiction. I ask the book store owner to recommend books without any romance or love at all. That’s the last thing I need. I also remove London from my world clock so I can stop obsessing over what Daimon-san is doing in London at whatever o’clock it is.

My plan was working well. I had extra surgeries scheduled practically every day. When I got home at night, I was so tired that I could barely read a few pages of a book before falling asleep. No more dreams about Daimon-san, I was sleeping soundly, and not having any dreams at all. I can get back to my normal life.

At least I thought so.

Then Mai called. Mai is still at school in London. Since the holidays are coming up, she asked if I could come to London and spend Christmas and New Years with her. She has a recital in January that she needs to stay in London to practice for, so she can’t come to Japan for New Year’s like usual. She said she wants me to experience a real London Christmas and New Years before she graduates. She also wants me to meet her “friend.”

I was afraid of this day, but didn’t think it would come so soon. She’s a bit young to have a boyfriend. I hope that this is just a “friend” and not what I think it is.

This brings up another problem. Daimon-san. She’s also in London. Would I really be able to go there and not think about Daimon-san or go see her? Regardless, I can’t turn down Mai. I tell her yes, I will come and spend the holidays with her as long as I can get enough time off from work. That shouldn’t be an issue since I’ve been working so much lately. I really do need some time off, I’ve been working non-stop, even weekends. It will be wonderful to see Mai and experience a real English Christmas. Christmas in Japan is just another day, and Christmas Eve is really just a date night, so I expect it will be quite different.

A week later, with my time off scheduled thanks to Akira-san, and with my flight booked, I start to pack for my trip. This whole week I’ve had dreams about Daimon-san, though they’ve been less erotic thankfully. They’ve actually been pretty normal, like us eating together and playing ping pong. In one dream, we went to some type of amusement park and went on the Ferris wheel. I don’t mind these dreams; they are pleasant enough. Maybe my mind is getting back to normal.

The day comes when I leave for London. Unlike most people, I’ve always enjoyed air travel. I rarely get to go on trips, especially overseas, so it’s a treat for me. I take a taxi to Haneda for my direct flight to London. As I settle into my seat for the long flight, I read about London and its history and highlights in the travel book I purchased. I make a few notes, mark off some museums and landmarks that I absolutely must see with Mai. I’m very much starting to look forward to arriving in London, it’s going to be amazing to experience it with Mai. After a surprisingly decent airplane dinner and an action movie, I slip on the provided sleep mask, put in some earplugs and recline my seat back to get some much-needed sleep before the plane’s arrival in London.

I must have gone into a deep sleep because I started dreaming. About Daimon-san… again.

The dream was the most intense yet. And also, the most erotic. We were in a surgery at first, then went to dinner and came home to Kanbara Agency. Akira-san wasn’t there for some reason. All of a sudden, Daimon-san pulled me by the wrist up the stairs and into her room. We started kissing and taking each other’s clothes off. In my dream, I was definitely a willing participant. Something jostled my seat from behind which woke me up. I was sweating again… and I could feel I was wet between my legs, very wet. The rest of the passengers were mostly asleep or watching movies with their headphones on and it was quite dark. I decide to go to the bathroom, splash some water on my face and clean myself up. When I look in the bathroom mirror, I laugh. This is hilarious actually. Only Daimon-san could do this to me at 30,000 feet in the air somewhere over Asia.

I could not sleep for the rest of the flight. Instead, I put my sleep mask back on and my blanket over my head so no one can see I’m awake. Awake and thinking about a certain person. At this point, I have no idea what to do or what’s going on with me. Is it possible I am in love? I need to sort out my feelings once and for all. I realize I need to see Daimon-san while I’m in England. There’s no way around it. Once I see her again, I’ll know the truth.

Besides, maybe she’s dating someone? Maybe she’s fallen out of love with me? Maybe she’s changed and wouldn’t care to see me or ever be friends again? Maybe she has new friends and doesn’t need an old friend to intrude on her new life? All of these things are possible and would end these thoughts and dreams once and for all. Though I must admit, I might be sad for a while.

My plane touches down at Heathrow finally and Mai greets me! That’s a surprise, I thought she had classes and I would need to take a taxi to my hotel. I check into my hotel and then we go out to eat, traditional fish and chips of course. Then we headed to Piccadilly Square and took lots of pictures together while exploring downtown London at night. It was wonderful. The next few days were a blur, a wonderful blur of sightseeing, amazing food and loads of selfies together. Her “friend” joined us on one of these days. Turns out she just wanted me to meet the young man she’s doing a recital with. They are very close friends, but he’s gay. What a relief! The entire time, that certain surgeon didn’t intrude on my thoughts even once!

The day before Christmas Eve, Mai tells me she has rehearsals scheduled for most of the day, so I have to make some plans by myself for today.

I was really hoping I would have Mai all to myself each day, but that wasn’t the case. She has a recital coming up soon and still has to fit a few practices in during the holidays. That’s disappointing, but understandable.

Back at my hotel, I didn’t even think before I found myself calling Akira-san, asking if he had Daimon’s address and the name of the hospital where she’s working. He was surprised, as I had told him I didn’t have plans to see her when I’m in London, that the trip will be all about Mai. Nevertheless, when I ended the call, I had a paper in my hand with her address and the name of the hospital. I stared at it for a while. Then I picked up my phone and brought up the map app. I entered the address of the hospital first. St. Thomas’s Hospital. Wow, a very famous hospital right in the center of London, close to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. She lives in a flat on Orsett Street, just south of the hospital. I locate the bus route which goes right to the hospital from a stop near my hotel. Perfect.

Now to get a good night’s sleep and see what lays in store for me tomorrow. Will she be glad to see me? Will she even be there? Maybe it will be her day off. I’m nervous, but somehow excited as well.

Again, I dream about her that night. I guess I can’t stop myself. Hopefully, seeing her again will end these dreams once and for all and put my mind at ease.

The universe has other plans.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, I head out of the hotel and make my way to the bus stop. On the bus ride over to the hospital, I see many famous landmarks and realize what a beautiful and vibrant city this is. Daimon-san is so lucky to live here. So is Mai. I know I made a good decision in letting Mai come here. She’s doing so well and has a promising future ahead of her.

The bus arrives at the hospital and I step off. The hospital is huge. I’m not sure where the entrance is or where I should go to find her. After what seems like an eternity just aimlessly wandering, I finally find an entrance and see a welcome sign and another big sign that says “RECEPTION”, what a relief.

I ask the woman at the desk where I can find one “Daimon Michiko” or rather “Michiko Daimon” as the surname is last in Western culture. She asks what my business is with her of course. That’s nice that they don’t just give out information to anyone without a good reason. I tell her I’m a colleague from Japan. I guess I looked harmless enough, as she checked her computer and then told me exactly where to find her. She has a patient in the CCU (Coronary Care Unit) who just had surgery and she’s supposed to be following up with patients there today, it’s in the east wing on the third floor. She’s nice enough to give me directions and I thank her and head off. My English isn’t great, so I get lost at first, but finally find my way to the east wing to find the person I need to see.

The east wing is big and busy, but I see the arrows pointing to the CCU and follow them. As I walk along the hallway, I hear a familiar voice yelling in English at a nurse, who seems to have just made a mistake with some medication. I peek around a door and there she is. Daimon-san. She has a short red dress on underneath her doctor’s coat, so her long legs are peeking out with cherry red high heels at the end of them. She has her sleeves rolled up and her hair a little shorter than when I last saw her. She’s a sight to see, as beautiful as ever. A force of nature.

I stare at her helping her patient for a few seconds, or maybe it was a few minutes, I lost track of time. Finally, she walks out of the room and notices me.

I freeze.

“Jo… Jonouchi-san?... ”

“Daimon-san! I… uh… I’m here visiting Mai for the holidays and thought I’d drop by to see you!”

I can see she’s shocked to see me. Maybe she didn’t think she’d ever see me again? Maybe she doesn’t want to see me?

She smiles and hugs me, though it feels a bit awkward, a little tentative. She seems nervous. I hope she doesn’t feel my nervousness, because my heart is pounding out of my chest right now.

“You’re just in time for lunch, come with me!” she says, smiling, as she drags me back to the coffee shop which I passed by near the hospital entrance area. She asks me what I want to eat and orders for both of us. We both get soup and salad and some English tea.

She breaks the ice.

“So… how’s Mai? And Akira-san… have you seen him recently? I’m a little worried about him, I think his old age might be catching up to him. His voice sounds a little weak on the phone.”

“Mai is doing amazingly well. She’s very happy and is in the top of her class at her school. She has lots of friends and keeps me up to date with everything she’s doing with practically daily Facetiming. As for Akira-san, he seems to be doing okay. I saw him recently and he did seem a little frail, but he’s not young anymore. I had ramen with him and Ben Casey. It was nice after not seeing him for a while.”

She stirs some sugar into her tea and says casually…“And you? How have you been Jonouchi-san? I haven’t heard from you in a long time.”

_Uh… What? What is she talking about? It’s her that stopped keeping in touch!_

“You haven’t heard from _ME_ in a long time?! I haven’t heard from _YOU_ in a long time!!! You just left without even saying goodbye! By the way, _WHY_ did you do that? It’s like I didn’t even exist to you anymore.”

Silence falls between us. This is awkward.

After a minute or so, she answers… “Jonouchi-san, I’m… sorry. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse and needed to jump on it quickly, and you… you seemed preoccupied with your fiancé and your new life, I didn’t want to disturb that. I didn’t think you’d miss me too much anyway.”

I was about to say something, when I notice that she’s staring at my left hand. She’s surely noticed that I have no ring on my finger anymore.

“You didn’t answer me Jonouchi-san, how have you been? How are things with Shinji?”, she says probingly.

I’ll just be blunt and come out and say it.

“It was a mistake; he’s been cheating on me and we are getting a divorce. It will be final soon.”

I think I see a hint of a smile on her face after I say that. Not positive though.

“Oh really? I’m sorry to hear that.” She pauses to drink some tea and continues. “I always thought he was too perfect, that he had to be hiding something.”

“You too?!?! You and Akira-san both didn’t like him, yet you guys let me rush into a marriage with him! Such good friends!”

“If I had told you, would you have listened? I don’t think so. You were totally enamored with him and how perfect he was. Please… there was no convincing you otherwise and you know it.”

Things are getting heated now. I sip on my tea to calm down. We finish our lunch without saying anything else.

As she picks up the check and we begin to part, she says “Come back at 5 and we’ll go out for dinner. I know a great restaurant with a view of the Thames.”

My heart started pounding again, like I’ve just been asked out on my first date. I didn’t want to sound too eager, so I said “Ok, I’ll try to make it back, but I have some things to do. I’ll try and meet you here later.”

I found myself walking around downtown London aimlessly. I had no idea where I was going. I crossed the bridge and kept walking, I ended up outside Westminster Abbey. I went inside and checked out some of the famous tombs. I can’t deny that my mind wasn’t exactly on sightseeing. My mind was on my surgeon friend. I guess I can still call her that, my “friend.” I’m relieved about that. I checked out some shops around the area before sitting down and calling Mai to check in. She didn’t answer, I’m sure she’s busy rehearsing. I wanted to tell her that I saw Daimon-san and will be having dinner with her later. I type out a quick text to Mai letting her know, just in case I don’t talk to her later. While wandering around, I saw the Florence Nightingale Museum right next to Daimon-san’s hospital. I think I’ll check that out. Apparently, Florence Nightingale was a founder of St. Thomas’s Hospital, amazing! The museum is fascinating, especially to someone in the medical field, like me. They had many artifacts from her life on display, like one of her famous lamps, her black dress and one of her nursing uniforms. I was able to take my mind off Daimon-san, at least for a little while.

It’s almost 5pm now, I head over to the main hospital lobby to wait for Daimon-san. She comes out in a cute red dress with red high heels, and looks as stunning as ever. I find myself wondering if she’s attracted any romantic attention since she’s been here. She puts on her winter coat and we head out. As we walk down the street, she starts telling me about the area, the history, the restaurants and attractions. She seems to really like it here, I’m glad. We get to the restaurant and are seated right away, apparently, she made reservations for us. It’s quite a fancy restaurant, and I feel a bit underdressed, as I’m donned in my comfortable tourist outfit of black jeans and a sweater, but they let me in anyway. I guess Daimon-san’s fancy red dress makes up for the lack of sophistication in my outfit.

I have trouble reading the menu, so Daimon-san orders for me. Her English is really amazing. I knew she spoke English, but had no idea how good it was. Her pronunciation is close to perfect. She orders a bottle of wine for us and we drink almost the whole thing before dinner arrives. It was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. The company was even better. We chatted and laughed as though it was two years ago, about anything and everything. She told me all about her hospital, about her colleagues, the ones she hates and the ones she doesn’t mind. I talked about all the goings on at my hospital, about all the latest news about our old colleagues, Kaji, Hara, Ebina and Haruma. I told her all about the newest hospital director and some annoying rules he put in place to keep his subordinates in line.

We chatted just like old times and it was wonderful. After dinner, we walked around to see the Christmas lights and decorations downtown. It was practically romantic. It was freezing cold, so we walked around arm in arm to help keep each other warm. Then we started walking south a bit, towards her flat. It didn’t take long to get there. She lives on the top floor of an apartment complex. It’s quite a spacious, fancy apartment and even has a guest room, a small office area, a balcony and a view of part of downtown and the London Eye. She has a beautiful Christmas tree set up in front of a window. Apparently, her housekeeper put it up for her. It even has twinkling lights that automatically turn on at night. Her flat seemed quite expensive, but she said it’s included in her contract. That’s certainly nice, working at this hospital seems to have lots of benefits. I guess that’s a perk of being one of the best surgeons in the world. Now that I think about it, she deserves all of this and more.

As she moves around the room, making space for me to sit down on her couch and clearing out trash from what looks like yesterday’s take-out, I can’t help but stare. This person, this beautiful person, this brilliant surgeon, my friend. She loves me?

Come to think of it, she has no idea that I know. Akira-san obviously didn’t tell her that I knew, or maybe they haven’t even talked since then. That’s more likely.

How do I bring it up? Should I bring it up?

I shouldn’t. I don’t want to ruin this wonderful night. Yet, I’m curious. Is she still in love with me? I have to know.


	4. Chapter 4

She brings two beers out of her kitchen and hands one to me, a Heineken. She says Japanese beer is hard to find here. That’s no surprise. A Heineken is ok with me.

“Jonouchi-san, come out to the balcony, you have to see the view.”

We go out to the balcony and wow; the view is incredible. I can see some of the city center, though part of it is blocked by a building in front of us. We can see the London Eye too. Me and Mai were just up there yesterday. It’s amazing to think that we could see Daimon-san’s flat from where we were, and I didn’t even know it.

As we sip our beers and enjoy the view, we start talking again.

Staring out at the view, she says quietly, “Jonouchi-san, it’s… been lonely here. The people are nice, London is amazing, the surgeries are never-ending but… I’ve missed Japan and Akira-san… and you. I’ve been thinking about you lately, how you’ve been.”

I’m caught off guard at this admission. She rarely shows such a vulnerable side. I know I have to tread lightly.

“Ever since I found out Shinji was cheating on me; I don’t think I’ve ever felt so lonely. I started to think about you a lot. I was wondering if you were ok. How I miss having you as a friend. That’s why I went to Akira-san a few weeks ago. I asked him about you.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t keep in touch Jonouchi-san. I should have.” She leans over and puts her arm around me and I put my arm around her. She leans her head against mine as we watch the London Eye. We stay like this for a bit.

Then I think, maybe this is my opening… “Why didn’t you?”

“Why didn’t I keep in touch?”

“Yes, why did you stop calling and texting, as if you weren’t my friend anymore?”

She looks at me, but doesn’t say anything. She takes a big swig of beer instead.

I get up the nerve to ask… “Is it true?”

“Is what true?”, she looks at me perplexed.

I don’t say anything, I’m hoping she will understand without me saying the words.

After what seems like an eternity, a look of realization settles on her face, she looks upwards and sighs… “Akira-saaaan!… oh no… he didn’t...” She pulls away from me.

She knows. She knows I know.

She goes back inside from the balcony.

“Wait! Daimon-saaan!” I catch up to her and grab her wrist to stop her from walking away from me.

“Hey! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“That you were in love with me all that time.”

She refuses to look at me, I can see she’s embarrassed… “Jonouchi-san, please… let go.”

I let go, as I don’t want to upset her more. Maybe this was a mistake to say anything. I’m such an idiot. Everything was going so well and I ruined it.

She goes to the kitchen and I find her rummaging around in her refrigerator. Then she starts moving things around in a cupboard. She notices that I’ve come into the kitchen and slams a cupboard door. I can see she’s upset, maybe even angry. I come up from behind and hug her tightly. This is me saying sorry.

We stay like this for a minute, it seems like she might be crying but I can’t see for sure. I turn her around to face me… “Hey, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. Let’s just forget about it, ok?”

I raise my hand to wipe a tear from her cheek. I couldn’t stop myself; it was automatic. While wiping away the tear with my thumb, she grabs my hand and holds it to her cheek and looks straight into my eyes. Then she brings my hand to her lips and kisses my palm.

Then it just happens… as if it’s the natural conclusion to the night.

Our faces move closer ever so slowly. It’s like it’s happening in slow motion.

Finally, our lips meet. It’s a gentle, tender and rather innocent kiss. Could just be a quick kiss between friends.

We pull back and look at each other again. I think we’re both surprised at how easily that happened.

We stare at each other. It’s clear we both want this. No words are needed now.

All of a sudden, we’re kissing again. This time, deep, intense and passionate, our tongues mingling together. We kiss like we’ve been waiting for years to do this. Maybe we have. She wraps her arms around my back, I wrap my arms around her neck.

The distance between us has disappeared completely.

It’s unlike any kiss I’ve ever had. By far, the best.

We kiss until we have to pull away to catch our breath.

We look at each other again and it’s obvious what will happen next.

She takes me by the hand and leads me down the hall to her bedroom.

Before I realize it, my sweater is being pulled over my head and falls to the floor.

I bring my hands up behind her dress to unzip her out of it. I have difficulty, but eventually manage to unzip it and she helps me get her dress off. She pulls my sports bra over my head in one swift motion. We fall onto the bed together and she climbs on top of me.

She takes my hands in hers and brings them over my head.

It’s dark in the room, but a blue glow from the full moon and outside lights illuminates the room just enough for us to see each other. It feels like we’re in another world… or maybe heaven. I can see she is smiling; I think I am too.

We kiss some more, more passionately than I’ve ever experienced before. Then she starts kissing down my neck. Then my shoulder and down to my breasts. She puts her mouth on one and her hand on the other. She stays there for a while, playing with my nipples with her tongue and fingers. Then she kisses down my ribs to my stomach. I put my hands on the back of her head and run my hands through her hair. She reaches my surgical scars, the ones she created in order to save my life, and starts placing the most delicate kisses along their length. She looks up at me and whispers that she’s always wanted to do that. I gasp.

Then I feel my jeans being unzipped and pulled down. She pulls them off easily and they’re thrown off the bed. My panties are pulled down next. She doesn’t even wait to pull them off before she puts her head between my legs and starts licking and sucking my clit. I’ve never felt anything like this before.

Then, I feel a finger inside me, then another. My thighs start to shake, as the feeling is so intense, I can’t stay still. She notices this and looks up at me and smirks, “I’m a surgeon, remember?” I giggle (and must have turned red) as she takes a pause, then she thrusts into me slowly and deliberately at first, taking her time… I moan and make noises that I don’t think I’ve ever made before… she eventually thrusts faster and faster. It takes everything in me to resist the urge to close my legs, as the feeling is almost too much for me to handle. I climax quickly after that. It was the most intense orgasm I’ve ever felt. Earth shaking, mind blowing, like a volcanic eruption. I had no idea my body was capable of such ecstasy.

Finally, I catch my breath. My body is sweating, my heart racing and I feel giddy, almost high.

She lays down next to me. We turn to each other and kiss some more.

It’s her turn now. After that… I hope I don’t disappoint her.

Then she says… “It’s ok Jonouchi-san, you don’t have to. I know you’re nervous.”

I laugh. “Are you crazy? Get over here.” I climb on top of her and hold her hands down on the bed as we both smile and giggle.

I try to remember everything she did for me and duplicate it.

She seemed… satisfied.

I wake up in her arms the next morning.

I slowly realize… this wasn’t a dream, it was real.

My arm is draped over her stomach and I can feel her breathing. I watch her sleeping for a while. She’s so beautiful. I’ve never felt such intimacy with another human being before.

I want this morning to never end.

I fall asleep again after a while, and am awakened by her moving. She’s awake too, finally.

She yawns, then looks at me, smiles and whispers, “Good morning.” I say it back, and can’t stop myself from smiling while doing so.

We look at each other in the soft morning light and kiss. Gentle, sweet, smiling kisses. She pulls me even closer and we cuddle.

It’s quiet for a while, but then we hear ringing and notifications from our phones in the other room.

I sit up all of a sudden as I realize something. “Mai! I didn’t call her last night.”

I get out of bed and wrap one of the blankets which laid on top of the bed around me before sprinting to the living room. I pick up my phone. Yes, Mai has been calling. She left a few texts, apparently, she has a rehearsal today as well, but she’s wondering what I’m doing today. Oh Mai, if you only knew what I’m doing right now and who I’m doing it with. I chuckle to myself.

Daimon-san has come around behind me and asks, “How’s Mai?”

I tell her she’s fine and she’s busy today too. We can go back to bed.

She stares at her phone for a bit and sighs, “No, we can’t, at least I can’t. I have to go to the hospital; I have a surgery scheduled for today and I need extra time to go over the latest tests and scans before it starts. You’ll have to entertain yourself today… sorry.”

“That’s okay, of course you have work. Get going, your patient needs you.” We kiss again before she gets ready and heads off.

After she leaves, I go back to the bedroom and lay in bed for a little while longer, thinking about what just happened. I stare at the pillow that her head was just laying on. Was this real? I close my eyes and think about what we did. I feel happier than I’ve felt in a long time.

Then I get a text from Mai, she’s wondering what I’m doing for Christmas Eve dinner, she’ll be done with rehearsal by then. Of course, I happily say yes to dinner with Mai, wherever she wants to go. I ask if it’s ok if Daimon-san comes too. Of course, she says yes, she’d love to see Daimon-san.

Then I start to worry. Should I tell Mai about us? What will she think? Would she approve? Would she be upset? I have no idea. I decide to make that decision if and when the time comes. I shouldn’t rush things.

Daimon-san’s surgery goes well, and she’s in a great mood. I meet her in the hospital lobby and we head off to meet Mai at the restaurant. This time it’s a Japanese place specializing in sushi. Sushi in London, never thought I’d come here and eat that, but it was surprisingly good. Not as good as Japan of course, but good nonetheless. The dinner was so nice, with the two people that mean the most to me in the world. Mai and Daimon-san have always gotten along well and they still do, which warms my heart. Now that I think about it, maybe Mai will approve of our relationship. However, our relationship is still so new, I don’t want to put any outside pressure on it, so I decide not to tell Mai just yet. I want to find out exactly where we stand first. After all, part of me wonders if Daimon-san might view last night as a one-night thing, or that maybe it will just be a temporary thing whenever I visit Mai. I wonder.

After dinner, we walked around London together. We visited Borough Market first and tried some fancy doughnuts and coffee from Crosstown Market. Me and Mai got dark chocolate truffle and Michiko wanted to try the sea salt caramel. The hot coffee really hit the spot since London has been experiencing some of their coldest weather in years. Everything was fantastic. Then we visited some high-end shops. Daimon-san buys a designer handbag that she’s wanted for a while. She buys a handbag for me and a small one for Mai too! She says they are Christmas presents. This is turning out to be an amazing night.

Yet, the night only gets better.

We part with Mai and take a taxi to my hotel. I was hoping Daimon-san would stay the night with me in my hotel room, but she has other plans. Instead, she insists I pack up my stuff and check out of the hotel. She wants me to stay with her for the rest of my time in London.

Sounds good to me.

We get back to her flat and once we’re in the door, we can hardly keep our hands off each other. We end up going to bed straight away. Though we didn’t get much sleep. After making love again (and again), Daimon-san tells me that the hospital director would like to meet me. This is surprising to me. What would she want to meet me about?

The next day is Christmas Day. Daimon-san has the day off, so we sleep in late, and we definitely need the extra sleep after last night. Mai calls and wonders where I am and what I’m doing today. Apparently, she went to my hotel to surprise me but they said I checked out already. Hmmm. I wonder if this will bring up some questions from her.

Since most restaurants and attractions are closed for Christmas Day, I invite Mai over to Daimon-san’s. We’ll whip up something from the kitchen and watch some movies.

It was a wonderful afternoon and evening. We even Facetimed with Akira-san and Ben Casey for a little while.

That night, we slept together again, but we were both tired, so this time we just cuddled. I’ve never felt so safe and loved in someone’s arms.

When we wake up, Daimon-san says out of nowhere and with an almost evil smirk, “I think we can drop the honorifics now, don’t you… Hiromi?”

I say in response, “Yes, I think we can… Michiko.”

This will feel weird at first, but I’ll get used to it.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day, Michiko insists I go to work with her. Apparently, I have an appointment to see the director. I didn’t even know there was an official appointment, but ok. I get up and get ready with Michiko and we head over to the hospital.

The director is an American woman who is apparently a big fan of Michiko. That’s why she received such a great offer to work in London. I walk into the meeting, of course Michiko is there too, I would be nervous if she wasn’t. I don’t even know what the director wants with me.

The director makes me an offer to come work at the hospital as Michiko’s personal anesthetist. She hands me some papers and I look them over. It takes me a while to read the English, but the offer is incredible. The money is great, much more than I’ve ever made before. The list of perks seems endless, including a hefty housing allowance, which I wouldn’t even need to use. I could just save that since I’ll be living with Michiko.

The offer is wonderful, but all of a sudden, I’m scared. Me, moving to London? Permanently? This is all happening so fast. So, Michiko had a hand in this. I should be happy about that, and I am. This means that she wants me to live here, with her, permanently it seems. I can’t think of anything I’d rather do, yet, I tell the director I want to think about it. I need to step back and make sure I’m making the right decision. The last time I made a hasty decision, it came back to bite me, not this time.

After the meeting, Michiko and I sneak a few kisses in an empty hospital room before we part. She has surgeries all day and won’t be able to have lunch with me. I head back to the flat to look over the papers and think about the offer.

Of course, I can’t turn down this offer. It’s everything I could ask for. I get to stay in London permanently and work at a prestigious hospital, I get to live with Michiko and I get to be close to Mai. I also get to make and save a lot of money. It’s unlikely an offer like this would ever come to me again.

But what will Mai think? I’d have to tell her that I’ll be living with Michiko. I’ll have to tell her about our relationship. This scares me. What if she doesn’t approve? What will she think of her Mom being with… a woman?

When Michiko comes home, I discuss it with her. I tell her I want to take the offer, but I’m scared what Mai will think of us being together.

She takes my hands in hers and says confidently, “Have some faith in your daughter. I bet she has gay friends already, right? Trust me, she’ll be okay with this… with us.”

She’s right, probably. Though you never know. Will Mai accept me and Michiko being a couple? There’s only one way to find out. We invite Mai over for dinner and I try to break it to her gently, giving subtle hints about our newfound relationship at first. Mai seemed to get it quickly.

“Mom, you don’t have to hide it.” She says with a sly smile. “I’ve always known Daimon-san liked you.” She and Michiko share a knowing look and a wink.

“What?!?! Did everyone know but me?”

“Yes!” they say in unison.

Mai leans back and smiles, “I just want you to be happy Mom, and I know Daimon-san really loves you a lot and would never betray you. Besides, I would love to have two mothers!”

I should have known. I should have known that Mai would see it before I did… and that she would be ok with it. What an incredible daughter I have.

I tell Mai all about the offer from St. Thomas’ Hospital and all the perks. She’s so excited that I would be living close to her.

I announce my intention to accept the offer and all of a sudden, I’m surrounded by Mai and Michiko for a big, happy hug.

I head to the kitchen to bring out some leftover Christmas cake and tea. While I’m alone in the kitchen, all of a sudden, I’m overcome with emotion and start crying. I didn’t know this kind of happiness existed or was even possible.

A few days later, we all celebrate New Year’s Eve together. We don’t even need to leave the flat to watch the fireworks, as it has a great view of the Southbank area where the fireworks are going off. We have soba together for good luck. Once it turns midnight, Michiko and I share a kiss on the balcony to start the new year right. Mai giggles and turns red at seeing us kiss for the first time. She’s so precious.

Mai spends the night in the guest room. The next morning, we have a quick breakfast and head out early to visit a Japanese temple a few blocks to the west which offers New Year’s services. We all offer prayers. Last year, I prayed for health and happiness for Mai and me, and Shinji, Michiko and Akira-san. Little did I know how much my life would change in just one year. We came back home and had some ozouni and I set out some osechi. Amazingly, there is a chain of Japanese grocery stores in the London area. London must be lucky for me, as when I walked into one of their shops which was just a short bus ride away, a staff member was just putting out a few of their last osechi boxes. I grabbed the best looking one quick.

The next day, I have to pack to go back to Japan, but not before heading over to the hospital to officially accept the director’s offer. There’s a lot I need to do in Japan before I can come back to London and start this new life.

Michiko wants to come back to Japan with me, but can’t take any time off. She has a full schedule of surgeries every day to start the New Year. We reluctantly part at the airport. As I look back at her, I realize just how much I love her. The flight attendant who shows me to my seat asks if I’m ok, of course she can see my tears. I’ve become such a crier. I tell her simply, not to worry, that these are happy tears.

When I land back in Japan, I’ve slept through practically the whole flight. I dreamt, but only pleasant dreams about Michiko and London. I rush around Tokyo over the next couple weeks to take care of things. I have to clear out my things at the hospital, move out of my apartment, sign the divorce papers, take care of my passport and work visa, sell some things, pack some things for shipment and put some things in storage. A couple days before I leave for London, I head back to the hospital to say goodbye to my colleagues. Everyone is happy for me. Though, for some reason, I can’t bring myself to tell them that I’m going to live with Michiko, that we’re a couple now. Though Kaji and Hara seem to sense something else is going on, I still don’t tell them about it. Is it any of their business? Or am I just scared about what people will think? I decide it doesn’t matter.

The last visit before I leave will be Akira-san at the Kanbara Agency. I need to drop off some things and talk to him. He knows I got an offer at the same hospital as Michiko in London, but he doesn’t know about the change in our relationship. I’m nervous to tell him, what will he think?

Why on earth am I still so concerned about what people think though? I guess years of living in a conservative Japanese family affected me more than I thought. Anyway, I don’t care what anyone in Japan thinks of my relationship, really, I don’t. I decide it’s no one’s business what I’m doing in London.

Except for Akira-san. It is definitely his business and he deserves to know. I’m surprised Michiko hasn’t told him yet, but she wanted me to tell him in person. It’s the right thing to do.

The night before I leave for London, I head over to Kanbara Agency to have a last dinner with Akira-san. He’s set up a wonderful hotpot meal.

I’m not sure how to bring it up, but I didn’t need to worry about that. Akira-san starts asking me about London and Mai and Michiko and asks how she’s doing. I tell him all about my trip, how wonderful it was to spend time with them.

Apparently, I can’t hide it. He sees something in my face as I talk about Michiko and says “So, you and Michiko… ” He smiles the biggest smile, “I’m happy for you both.”

“Akira-saaan!!! How did you know?”

He laughs, “Hiromi, you can’t hide that kind of happiness on your face. It’s easy to see. I think… well, I think it was meant to be. There was always something about the way you two work together. Like yin and yang, you perfectly complement each other. I just wondered when you would realize it.”

Akira-san starts to get emotional. “I’m so relieved that Michiko has finally found someone. Someone that truly understands her. I was worried that she’d be alone forever. This is such a weight lifted from my heart.” He starts to shed a few tears.

This causes me to get emotional too, we both need some tissues.

“When I talked to Michiko last, you were still in London. I could tell from her voice, that something had changed. She didn’t sound so lonely anymore.”

“Oh Akira-san, you have to come visit us soon! She misses you so much, you have no idea. We have a guest room; you can stay with us.”

“Definitely, I’ll make plans for the summer. It would be nice to get out of the Japanese humidity for a while. I’d love to visit some castles too.”

Back in London, I begin to settle into my new life. Long days of surgeries, many difficult ones with Michiko. Yet, we persevere through them each time. All thanks to her exquisite preparation before each and every one. After a bit of initial frustration getting around the hospital, issues with my lacking English skills and becoming acquainted with their operating rooms and procedures, we manage to settle into a routine. Michiko and I become a well-oiled surgical machine, reading each other’s minds with just a look between us. The surgical assistants seem to be in awe of her surgical skills. I was shocked that surgeons fight over getting to be her assistant, just so they can watch her work. No wonder she likes working here.

After work each day, we walk home together hand in hand or arm in arm.

Our relationship is pretty close to perfect… yet every once in a while, she still does annoying things. One night we were watching a period drama on the BBC. We’re cuddled together under a blanket on the couch. I’d brought my favorite English chocolates out from the kitchen. Of course, she eats most of them before I even realize it. She barely left any for me! Then in the middle of the drama, she falls asleep on me. Actually, she hates these period dramas, but she still watches them with me because _I_ enjoy them. I guess that’s true love. Next time, I guess I will just buy extra chocolates.

After difficult surgeries, she practically begs me to massage her neck and shoulders. She gives me puppy dog eyes until I give in. There’s no more onsen after work, there’s no such thing here, so I always give in of course. She needs something to relax her muscles, I guess that’s me. I don’t mind really.

In the bedroom, I thought it could never get better than that first night. Oh, how wrong I was. It seems to get better every time, as we continue to learn about each other’s bodies, each other’s likes and dislikes, where and how we like to be touched, when we like to be touched. Some nights we’d make love for hours before going to sleep. Other nights, when we’re both exhausted from surgeries, we’d just cuddle and fall asleep together.

I couldn’t have known, or had any idea beforehand, but why does it not surprise me that Michiko has an insatiable appetite for sex? We’ve pretty much done it in every room of the flat. One night when was in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner, she comes up behind me and starts kissing my neck, we end up going at it on the kitchen table. Another night, I’m taking a shower before bed, she comes in and we end up doing it in the shower. Needless to say, it was the most enjoyable shower I’ve ever taken. The balcony happens to be quite private; no one can see you from either side. Yeah, we ended up doing it on the chaise lounge on the balcony too. Who am I kidding? I’m always ready and willing, it certainly isn’t just her. I had no idea love and sex could be like this.

Some nights in bed, we’ll talk for a while before going to sleep. About surgeries, about our colleagues, about our day, about everything. One night, I start talking about my childhood, my family, how I grew up, my college years. This is one thing I’ve never gotten out of Michiko. She never, ever talks about her past. But that night, finally, she starts talking. About her father, his clinic, what happened to him, how she became so close to Akira-san, how she ended up in debt, about their years in Cuba, where she’s volunteered and worked over the years. Everything. I’m so happy she finally opened up about her past to me. It means so much and deepens our relationship even more. I feel like she fully trusts me now.

Then, she drops a bomb. She reveals that she is, in fact, the “Doctor X” that people talk about.

I don’t even know what to say to that. I had always wondered, but never knew for sure. Most people thought Doctor X had to be a man. Nope, my amazing girlfriend is Doctor X!

I promise that her secret is safe with me.

It’s almost the New Year again. This time, Mai is spending New Year’s Eve at a party with some friends, so me and Michiko head to the London Eye.

As we reach the top and I gawk at the view, I see out of the side of my eye that Michiko seems to be kneeling down for something.

I turn to her, and she looks up at me… “Hiromi, I don’t want to be without you by my side ever again, will you marry me?” She pulls a pale blue Tiffany box out of her coat pocket and opens it to reveal the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen. A rose gold band with a huge diamond in the middle.

I really didn’t expect this at all. I look at her for a moment, then the happy tears start. “Yes! Of course, YES!”

She stands up and slides the ring on my finger. We share a kiss overlooking London just as fireworks begin to go off in the background. We tell each other “I love you,” not for the first time, and certainly not for the last time.

**Author's Note:**

> There's so few English fan fictions for these two, I dreamed up one in my head and thought I'd write it out and post it. I hope the non Japanese fans can enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> Note that I have not seen Doctor Y, only Doctor X.


End file.
